Alan Zelenka did well enough in Tuesday’s primary election to appear as the sole candidate on the November general election ballot and near-guaranteed winner to replace David Kelly as City Councilor for Eugene’s Ward 3, which encompasses the University.
As of press time, Zelenka, who garnered 67.45 percent of the vote, beat out Bruce Mulligan and Jana Jackson, who received 23.98 percent and 8.57 percent of the vote, respectively.
In Oregon, candidates who earn more than 50 percent of the votes in a nonpartisan race in a primary election are listed as the only candidate on the general election ballots.
Although Lane County Elections will continue to count ballots for the next few days, Chief Deputy County Clerk Annette Newingham said, Zelenka is the probable winner because of the margin of victory. The election results will be certified 20 days after ballots are collected on June 6.
“I thought I’d win, but I was surprised by the magnitude of it,” Zelenka said.
He said his focus on issues of sustainability, environmental protection, neighborhood livability and “making sure the government listens to the people and represents the people’s interest” had carried the vote.
“David Kelly said that I represented the values of the ward. That’s how we ran the campaign, getting the message out. And it worked,” he said.
Kelly, who announced that he would not seek a third term, endorsed Zelenka as his successor and said Zelenka is committed to hearing from a variety of people on every issue and would be a very quick study.
“I’m really pleased with his victory and the margin of his victory,” Kelly said. “He ran a good campaign, he was very clear on where he stood and I’m pleased that the voters of the ward resonated with what he’s trying to do.”
Kelly and Zelenka said they were disappointed by a low voter turnout.
Overall election turnout in Lane County as of midnight today stood at 33 percent.
“It’s still disappointing, particularly in local elections. One hundred votes either way can make a big difference. I’m disappointed in the prospects for democratic society when less than a third of registered voters turn out,” Kelly said.
Zelenka said he too was surprised by the low turnout at the polls.
“That’s really low. That’s disappointingly low,” he said. “There wasn’t a presidential race (but) you’d think that the governor’s race would pull out the vote.”
Newingham said high turnouts usually depend on hotly contested races or on measures that affect voters personally. Primary ballots don’t attract much attention.
“Primary elections are seldom more than a 50 percent voter turnout,” she said.
Zelenka, who was also endorsed by Mayor Kitty Piercy, Councilor Betty Taylor, the Sierra Club, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and the Graduate Teaching Fellows Federation, said he is looking forward to improving relations between the city government and the University.
“I want to re-establish the link between the city and the University on both the administrative and student, ASUO level,” he said. “I think you get the two biggest institutions in the city … and they should be talking more frequently. The students play a huge role in the city and they should be heard.”
In other City Council races, Mike Clark won uncontested for the Ward 5 seat. In the Ward 6 race, Jennifer Solomon defeated Rich Cunningham with 63.23 percent of the vote.
News reporters Calvin Hall and Tom Hubka contributed to this report
Zelenka proceeds in Ward 3 election
Daily Emerald
May 16, 2006
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